Snus (rhymes with goose) comes in little pouches, meant to be tucked between the upper lip and the gums. Unlike chewing or dip tobacco, it doesn’t cause excessive salivation, so there’s no constant spitting.

Snus carries less risk of some of those cancers than other tobacco products, enough that if a cigarette smoker were to stop smoking and switch completely to snus, they would be at a lower risk. So after snus maker Swedish Match provided evidence about the risks, the FDA agreed to let the company add the following text to its labels: “Using General Snus instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”

This is the first time the FDA has granted modified-risk status to a tobacco product. The agency’s press release, however, emphasizes that this doesn’t mean snus is “safe.” The product still has to carry one of the standard warnings for smokeless tobacco, which include statements like “WARNING: This product can cause mouth cancer.” The acting FDA commissioner, Ned Sharpless, summed up the agency’s position:

While we are authorizing these specific modified risk tobacco products, it’s important for the public to understand that all tobacco products — including these — pose risk. Anyone who does not currently use tobacco products, especially youth, should refrain from doing so.